2.5/5 (physical book)

I did not go into this book with super high expectations. My expectations were met with a contemporary, young adult romance book, though.

I can't say that I loved everything about this book (I guess which is obvious from my star rating), and there were a few things that bothered me. But I want to highlight the parts I enjoyed, first. I have to say that I really liked the characters throughout. I thought that Merideth was loyal, welcoming, and kind, something that is often overlooked or missing in young adult literature - especially those in a school setting. Mer was there to support Anna from day one, and it was kind of (sorry for the cliche) a breath of fresh air for a character at a new school in a new country to be met with compassion off the bat (here I go again).

Anna was likable but not loveable for me. I thought her character was sometimes whiny about being sent to France for schooling, but on the other hand, I thought it was a really cool trait for her to be so invested in movie reviews. I actually found this aspect of Anna's character to be really intriguing because usually, in my opinion, young female characters are more interested in the acting part of movies and not in the writing critical reviews part.

St. Clair's character is where I started to get mixed feelings. I thought that he, similarly to Merideth, was really accepting of Anna and seemed to want to make her feel welcome to both the school and to France. From the moment they met, though, it was obvious that they both had "feelings" about one another. Which I suppose is all fine and dandy, but St. Clair has a girlfriend (at least had...). This part I struggled with because, yes, feelings for someone can take you over at any time, but I also think the way he went about, well, basically everything was wrong. He led Anna on, though I'm pretty sure she knew from the beginning that he had a girlfriend...so shame on her too.

Then there was the fact that he wanted to break up with Ellie but was scared of being alone. I guess you could say this is where I was torn with the whole situation. I was mad at his character for leading two girls on and playing with their emotions, but I also understand that these types of decisions and life choices can be extremely difficult and taxing on an individual. He seemed to have become comfortable in his relationship with Ellie, and comfort can be an extremely difficult thing to break out of.

I guess I have to say overall, though I did not love this book, I still enjoyed it and found myself smiling at many points throughout. I would recommend it to someone who is looking for a cute, light, contemporary read, but I would not recommend it to those looking for something critical or extremely thought-provoking.